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“I think people find them different and a bit exciting. We find that they’re a niche item that customers need some education about in order to prepare, but they add a lot of dimension and colour to a plate — and many customers have said they prefer them to brussels sprouts.”

Kalettes look like brussels sprouts with frilly, purple and green kale-like leaves. They’re milder than brussels sprouts and more tender than kale, which are both members of the cabbage family. Some people describe them as sweet and nutty. They’re rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin K.

You can eat Kalettes raw, slicing them in half lengthwise, but they’re fairly toothsome so you may want to blanch them. They’re much better stir-fried, sautéed or roasted. Grilling is another option.

This is a non-GMO vegetable.

Tozer Seeds, a family-owned vegetable seed breeding company in England, created the Kalette using traditional hybridization techniques and cross-pollinating kale and brussels sprouts using insects to create hybrid seeds.

“This is an entirely natural process that could occur in the wild,” writes Tozer Seeds America general manager Daniel J. Kleinsmith in a certified letter posted on kalettes.com.

Tozer Seeds started cross-breeding work on Kalettes in 1995, launching them as Flower Sprouts in England in 2010.

For the North American launch last fall, they trademarked the name Kalettes, mindful of how popular kale is here.

The crop is being grown in warm spots such as California and Mexico.

“They’re field grown and they’re all hand harvested,” says Lisa Friedrich, marketing representative for Tozer Seeds America. “They’re very similar to brussels sprouts where they’re grown on a long stalk.”

Fox News has declared Kalettes “the hot new vegetable of 2015.” Time dubbed them “a brand-new veggie you should know about.”

Loblaws has quietly stocked Kalettes from Holland for about a year. They show up on the bill as kale blossoms.

Biddiscombe says produce customers are “always on the lookout for new flavours, shapes and sizes.” Selling Kalettes is “a great example of our commitment to innovation and to being ahead of the curve when it comes to appealing to people’s tastes.”

He hopes to eventually have Ontario-grown, or Canadian-grown Kalettes.

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